Portable cooler



Oct. 9, 1951 G M ACTQN 2,570,300

PORTABLE COOLER Filed 0G12. l, 1947 2 lSheets-.Sheet l Il 3 A 44 457.56776 l0 ISnvenlor Gttornegi Oct. 9, 1951 G, M, AgTON 2,570,30()

PORTABLE COOLER Filed 001i. l, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IW 66 Zhwentor 'I' f Gra/If M coa 69 Gttomeg s Patented Oct. 9, 1951 PORTABLE COOLER Grant M. Acton, Arkansas City, Kans., assignor to Acton Manufacturing Company, Inc., a corporation of Kansas `Application October 1, 1947, Serial No. 777,213

(Cl. (i2-63) 1 Claim. l

This invention relates to portable coolers and more particularly to such a cooler or ice chest for use on picnics, trips and other instances where refrigeration is desirable to chill beverages and foods.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a portable cooler having heavily insulated Walls, bottom and removable cover; to provide a portable cooler, the walls of which include an inner liner forming a watertight ice container in the lower portion thereof and having a closeable drain; to provide an insulated cover structure having edges adapted to t over and sealingly engage an upstanding rim on the cooler box; to provide a cover with a handle by which said cover may be picked up or removed from the cooler, said handle including a seat to receive the central portion of a bail that is pivotally carried by the end walls of the cooler and provide the downward pressure on the handle and cover to tightly retain said cover in sealing engagement on the cooler box; to provide a food container for insertion into the cooler box; to provide for removably supporting the food container on the cover whereby removal of the cover removes said food containerY from the cooler box to `provide access to the interior thereof; to provide a cooler with' a food tray or container which is readily accessible to the user and is slidaby carried on the under side of the cover with friction means for preventing said container from slipping Ior moving by itself Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the cooler box on the line 3--3, Fig. 2. 1

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the cooler, portions being broken away to better illustrate the structure of the various parts. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View through the food compartment and a portion of the cover illustrating the mounting of the food compartment on'said cover. y 1 Fig. 6 is a disassembled, perspective view of the, the cover and food tray. l

Y Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view through the mounting of the food tray on the cover, particu--` larly Villustrating the fastening of the food tray tracks to the cover;

Referring more in detail to the drawings:` I designates a portable `food and beverage cooler consisting of a cooler box 2 and cover i!l therefor. The cooler box preferably consists of spaced outer and inner shells 4 and 5 respectively,

f preferably of sheet metal, the inner shell being of while the cooler is being transported or the cover' A being removed for access to the food or beverages contained in the cooler; to provide a reinforced food container of light weight, yet rigid structure, capable of retaining its shape under rough usage; and to provide a portable cooler of the character described that is neat and attractive in appearance, durable, and sturdily built to withst and rough treatment instant to transportation abuses, yet is inexpensive, light in weight, and convenient to use.

` In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Y; Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portable cooler embodying the features of thev present invention.

. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cooler box with the cover and food compartment arranged in cooler closing position, a portion of the cooler being broken away to better illustrate the structure and location of the various portions of the cooler.

corrosionresistant material such as stainless steel, aluminum, or steel coated with anti-corrosion material. Space between the shells-is pref-: erably lled with suitable insulation Ii 4.to reduce the transfer of heat 'through the walls ofthe cooler. The outer shell -preferably consists of aA bottom 1 having downwardly turned edges 8;I seating between side and end walls 9 and IIJ and upturned lower edges II thereon to form a lockv joint between the walls 9 and I [I and the bottom Lf To facilitate manufacturing, the vertical walls 9 and I0 of the outer shell 4 are preferably formed` of two pieces shaped to form rounded corners I2, the vertical edges of each of the pieces being lapped as at I3 to form the end walls Ill, the lapped portions preferably being spot welded and the inner edges covered with a suitable waterproof sealing material. The upper portions of the side and lend walls 9 and ID l are curved inwardly as at I4 and the upper edge I5 turned upwardly to lie against the 'outer surface of the side and end walls I6 and I1 of the inner shell 5, the upper edges of said inner walls I6 and I'I being turned outwardly' and downwardly as at I 8 over the upstanding edge I5 of the walls of the outer shell to form a lock joint around the upper portion lof the walls of the cooler and an upstand-v ing ridge to receive the cover 3, as later described, The upper corners of the outer shell are covered with metal corner pieces I9 suitably secured `in place as by screws 2U, said cover pieces cooperating with the curved upper portion of the outer shell and the lock joint to close the upper end of the space for the insulation between the inner, and outer shells. Ther lower edgesof the inner Y provide'a secure*solidrnountinglof@the-handle walls I6 and I1 are turned upwardly as at 2| to receive downturned edges 22 of the bottom 23 of said inner shell to form a lock joint between said inner walls I6 and I1 and the bottom 23. Said lock joints are spot welded together and soldered to make the joint substantial and watertight.

As shown in Ei'g. 2, fthe bottom `f23.is spaced from thebottom 1 of th`e"outer shell-wherebythev insulation is arranged across the bottom of the cooler to ll said space to reduce heat transferium between said bottoms, said insulation providingm added support for the walls and bottom of the inner and outer shells to provide-ia more'rigid construction, reducing distortiony duef tof-weigl-itv of the ice and bottled beverages or the like adapt- 15 ed to be placed and carried in:thefcoolerfbox;` K

The cooler box is preferably provided with a tubular drain 24 locatedhadjacent the bottmo the inner shell and passing through the two shell wallsivls and"e 9.1;In'prdeu-tosupport ffth Ywalls 20 adjacent thedrain, a bloclc'i Ixwood oriotherlsuit; ableinater'ial-25 is-preferablyplace'cl betweenfzthe inner rand 1 outer .she'llswith :sui-table waterproof# ing material or adhesive s'ealirig'thepointsrofcon'i of fsaid Solo ckvv and the vWerl Tlef'drainfitting `25 preferably consistsfofia tubula. member extends: ingithioughfpenings "afndZB-li the: Wallsk |19 land'.

I6 respectively, and an opening?29iiitheiblockr' 25il Theinnerendfcffithertubular membeli fis provided with a head thatzlbearsfagainst:a suita- 30 abl isealirsuchf: as a vlead@.gasketor?- theclikev foetweenlltheivheadaandctheeinsideface of theiwallr; Thefi'outer; end' ff thetubularmembeni'his prenerably provided with threads toareceivea-,nut-Ir whichfis `thrcadedon;ntlieiduberancbibears :against theoutsideisurfaceiof {thea-mall 9 toepul'lazthehead against.:v thecgasket' andsfcompressf: samecagainst the inner .allvlBto formawatertightjointlther betwee The outer endiofuthetube isfalsomroea videdewit 'Fa' eapid-2,apreferablyfhavirg a sui-tableF 40 gasket'33 ithereirr; adaptedmto'1ibearaagainstirthet outer-end; of @the draimtube'sto.sealfthepassageaih thereinwhens` the cap32:is thradedffon'zthend. of-Qtheltubex:

Theecool'er couerfispreferably'formedrof lJanVT 45 outer member lf-35 sha-pcd ,to "iorma crownedeapr-s. pearance, thersidesfandsendsbeingrzturned .downei wardly as "at 36 and 321ftoorrniside'anzil'endizedgcsI 38 and 3956i thecover;thefloweriportionfotthei 1 sidesffand :'fen'dstofl 'Lthcecoxzertbeingturned ff'up 50 ward `asrat.-4Illformingza"channel?thcrearoundain whichis snugly'freceivedfcurvedrupperredgsff 4 otiansinner liner-42'; rThe curuedtedges 41` of-fthef inner'liner142sengagefthe innenesurfacesof the? outer-.member 35 'andrhaveinwardly directedzslopm 55 ingmails4 Bterminatiiigrin a;f1aztap'orticr'rzlll` spacedf. front-tharouterr memberc35" aidlffspacinglbein'g lledwith VVinsulatingrmateria f4 fi Th'inwardlw sloping edges'of the;coverinnerdinercarerofl-'such' sizeithat l therlowertporto'n .of-.the linerffreelyltsl; 60 into "Ltheropeningf.surroundedeby: th fupstandi-n'g. ribfformed'bythe upper `edgesi of- 'thdnnershellr 5,v and thefuppersportid 10ft thefilirrerimember is :slightl'yf larger thanx thefinner cdimensionsf-*of thirib:Wh'erebyrthslopingportions'engagesaid on the outer member 35. The intermediate handle portion between the downturned ends is slightly concave longitudinally as indicated at 48 to provide a sheet metal handle portion shaped to comfortably t the hand while carrying the cooler. The upper edges of the handle adjacent theendthereof` are preferablycurvedas at 49 and `provided with a seatl50'fto"receivethe central portion 5I of a bail 52, the ends or legs 53 `1-`and 54 of said bail being parallel and positioned closetorthe end walls lll of the cooler box. The lower ends 55 of the legs 53 and 54 are turned inwardly-itowardleach other and are pivotally seated-fin`holes`f56linfsaid end walls. lTo reinforce th`ef"-inner'--and'- outer shells adjacent the pivotal connection of the bail, a block 51 of wood or other suitablevmaterial is secured to the walls I0 and llbysuitable adhesive or the like, said block having holes 58 aligning'with'the holes -56 to receive the ends@ 5510i thezbail:` A

The bailis iadapted fora swinging;movement;` to'v engage the curvedportion-AQ of the handle and? springn-fupw-ardly overfthe edg'erthereon and drop:

or spring into the seat 50 to tightly holduthe':

coolerzcoverfnxplaoeonethecoolerzloox; Mounted-.on' vone endzof :thefcooler-:boxzis a bottleropener,y 59 preferably secured-to the foutershell `4 rlsbyfscrewsf` oraotherfsuitable' fasteningzvdevicesf 60. Th'e? bot-'i tle wopener@ preferably f vis fplacedvfadjacenti; the: pivot point of -the bail: annif-is` provded'with" an'f aperture 6I l therein giving `additional support to ther4 Wall: l0 around.-thelopening 56 Aforthe'pivotal: mountingof the bail.-

A foodfcompa-rtm'ent 62isformed in theupper: portionfof-ithercoolerfwherebyffood mayribe '-sup' ported labove xthe: boti'fledabeverages` and ice Y corr-i tained'iin ;y th'er lowerrportion of :the cooler; The? coolen'compartmentfis formedby'a tray 63 pref--L erably. removably'fsupported: onzthe lower #portion offthe coverewhere-by" thertrayzis removed ffrom' the cooler- `box withf-ithe -coverto provi'de access 'to the; flowerfportionrof :saidfi'cool'er box,` said tray being'iremovable` from. the cover to provide Yaccesstotherfoodfcarriedeimthe'tram? Tlewtray is of such'siz'egthatt willea'sily slipzwithinthe" bound# aryi'offthe:insidewallsfoffthe' inner ishell 5 and: preferablyconsistsofv aibottm 64h'avin'g' up'turn'ed ends 'suitablfy reinforced asfby indented ribs 66;" The'upplerl edges of the* end 1 walls 6 5 r' are -turned inwardly towardv each'other to'iorm'horizontalr suspension"v flanges-261'@ for the tray.l The inner endscoffsaid -angesfarefpreferamy :bent downwardly Tand rearwardly' tofornr a double thickness for :'saidia'nges'andy a" rounded inner edge there'- on'. Theisides-of :the 'tray.:are"preferably 'turned upwardly toform' side walls 68, preferaby shorter infheiaitthanthe'end' walls 65;" theends of said sidefiwalls "being: suitably secured tolthef said "nd' wallsflto'vform'! a rigid''structurefas byl bending tabs 69onr said sidewalls around the outer sur'r face of the end walls and inwardly' through 'slots lutin rsaid'end walls and backwardly as'at 'H into engagementwith'the'finner -faceI ofthe end walls to slapv the'fends' of" the side walls and provide-a rigid structure :capable -of supporting considerable weight on the tray.

Tle under@ side 'of the cover liner kis provided withlfllparalleliYihdentations 12 `to`receiveV a leg v"12" of Z-bars 'I4 forming tracks for supporting 'the' suspension members of the'tray The"Z-bars are arranged iniparallelfrelation'adjacent the ends offthecover'merriber with the web 150i said Z bars-extendingdownwardly to space Vthe leg 16, thereof fromthe ":zov'erliriergthev leg 16*y being turned outwardly toward the ends of the cover:

The Z-bars may be secured to the cover liner in any suitable manner, for example by cutting tabs 11 from the leg I3 and turning same upwardly for insertion through slots 18 in the indented portion of the cover liner, said tabs being folded over the upper face of the inner liner and pressed downwardly to press a portion of said liner indentation into the opening formed by the tabs as at 19. This provides a rigid structure thoroughly anchoring the track members to the cover liner. The suspension flanges 6l are adapted to slide in the space between the leg 16 and the cover liner. To provide resistance to such sliding whereby the tray will not move by itself and Will remain in position on the cover when the cover is being removed from the cooler box, spring loops 8G are pressed upwardly in the lower legs 'I6 to apply spring pressure to the lower portion of the suspension fianges El to hold same in frictional engagement with the lower face of the cover liner. This structure allows the tray to be moved in the tracks to slide said tray to the side of the cover to provide access to the contents of the tray, yet the friction provided by the spring members 80 is suicient to prevent free movement of the tray and hold same against movement as the cover is removed from the cooler box and the food carried to a place of consumption by the cover.

In using a cooler constructed as described, the bail is pushed to one side and over the side edge of the cover, whereby the handle 46 may be grasped to lift the cover from the cooler box. The food tray, being heldin position on the cover, is also removed with said cover. The cap 32 is then tightened on the drain tube 24 and a suitable quantity of ice is placed in the lower portion of the cooler box and arranged on the bottom 23 of the inner shell whereby bottled beverage and other articles adapted for placing on the ice may be arranged in the cooler to obtain full benefit of the refrigeration imparted by the ice therein. The food tray is moved to one side of the cover whereby sandwiches and other dry foods may be placed in the tray as desired. The tray is then moved on the tracks formed by the Z-bars 14 to a central position and the cover lifted by the handle 46 to insert the food tray into the boundary of the inner shell 5 and seat the cover on the rib around the opening of the cooler box to close same. The bail is then swung upwardly over the cover to engage the handle and moved over the edges thereof to drop in the seat 48, providing spring pressure forcing the sloping edges of the cover liner into sealing engagement with the rib on the cooler box to seal the interior of said box, said bail securely locking the cover in place. The portable cooler is then ready for transportation to the point of use and may be lifted either by the handle 4E or bail 52 as desired, the arrangement of the bail facilitating the carrying of the container by two persons if considerable Weight of material has been placed therein. If

too much water has collected in the bottom of the inner shell, the cap 32 may be removed from the tubular drain member to allow a portion of the water to drain from the cooler, said cap being replaced to prevent any water from draining into the car or other means of transportation.

When it is desired to use any of the contents of the cooler, the bail is swung from engagement with the handle and over the`side of the cooler whereby the cover may be lifted to expose the contents of the cooler. The food tray is lifted from the cooler simultaneously with the cover whereby either food or beverages may be obtained as desired.

It is believed obvious that I have provided a portable cooler structure of light weight, sturdy construction, capable of withstanding the abuses of transportation, and facilitating access to any of the contents of said cooler.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A portable cooler comprising, inner and outer shells, each having side, end and bottom walls, the respective walls of said shells beingl spaced apart, insulation in the spacing between the respective walls, interlocking flanges on the upper ends of the respective side and end walls to form a cooler box having an `open top, said interlocking flanges forming an upstanding rib around the box opening, said upstanding rib being substantially in alignment with the walls of the inner shell, the inner shell of said box being adapted to contain ice and bottled beverages therein, and insulated cover having marginal portions overlying and adapted to seat on the upstanding rib for closing and Sealing the cooler box opening, means for applying pressure to the cover for removably securing same in sealing engagement with the upstanding rib, a food tray adapted to be received within the interior of the cooler box, said food tray having bottom, side and end walls, a plurality of diagonal indented ribs in the end walls for stifening same, parallel tracks secured to the bottom of the cover adjacent the ends thereof. flanges on the end walls of the tray slidably receivable in said tracks for removably securing the tray to the cover and position said tray in the upper portion of the cooler box, and indentures formed in the tracks for resiliently pressing the flanges on the tray end walls into frictional engagement with the cover for resisting relative movement lbetween the tray and tracks.

GRANT M. ACTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,986,155 Mashburn Jan. 1, 1935 2,087,413 Ohme et al. July 20, 1937 

